CELEBRATING SWEENEY

An evening of music in Christ Church Cathedral will celebrate Eric Sweeney’s contribution to music in Waterford. Over 100 singers and musicians will perform in a huge thank you to the composer and educator.

Eric Sweeney recently retired from WIT having led the BA (Hons) Music for over twenty years. Eric compositional works have been performed internationally and he is a member of Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland. Eric is organist and choirmaster in Christ Church Cathedral in Waterford city.

The concert will include work written by current WIT Music students; by composer, Aosdána member and one time WIT Music student Gráinne Mulvey and by composer, choral director and educator Br. Ben Hanlon who is currently doing a PhD in composition under the guidance of Eric Sweeney. The highlight of the evening will be a performance of Hymn to Gaia by Eric Sweeney, performed by the cathedral choir and WIT Chamber Choir with quartet, organ and soloists.

Tickets are €10 and €5 concession and will be available on the door on Thursday 7^th April. For more information go to www.christchurchwaterford.com or find us on Facebook at ‘Celebrating Sweeney’.

Former Taoiseach and renowned Statesman returns to Waterford

For 20 years Cathedral Close Apartments have been providing sheltered accommodation in Waterford and the South East. To mark its 20th anniversary, Cathedral Close will host a celebration on Sunday, September 26th.

The celebration will take the form of an open afternoon with events geared to interest and inform the active retired of Waterford. The highlight of this event will be the attendance of former Taoiseach Dr. Garret FitzGerald, a patron of Cathedral Close.

Dr. FitzGerald boasts an impressive and extensive political career, becoming a Senator in 1965 and being elected to Dáil Éireann in 1969. He became Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Fine Gael / Labour Coalition Government in 1973 and became leader of Fine Gael in 1977. In June 1981 Garret FitzGerald became Taoiseach until March 1982.

He then served a second period as Taoiseach from December 1982 to March 1987. Dr. FitzGerald retired from politics in 1992, although he came out of political retirement to campaign actively in the second referendum campaign on the Nice Treaty in 2002.

Dr. FitzGerald will be remembered by many as the dignitary who visited the Cathedral Close Apartments in 1990 for the signing of contracts and again during the building process and has remained a friend of the Close ever since.

Cathedral Close offers 30 apartments on three floors, all with either lift or stair-lift access. Each apartment is unfurnished but has a fully fitted kitchen with refrigerator and electric cooker. The Cathedral Close (being 300 years old) is thought to be the oldest continually occupied building in Waterford. In its present form Cathedral Close dates from 1990 when government grants and local subscriptions enabled its refurbishment.

As well as celebrating The Close’s 20th anniversary, the event will highlight the features and benefits of living in Cathedral Close. A number of interesting and short talks by Eamon McEneaney of Waterford Treasures on ‘The future plans for the Viking Triangle’ and Dr. Eithne Brenner on ‘Health and the elderly’ will also take place throughout the afternoon.

There are tours of the facilities available for those who have a genuine interest in its offering and have never seen the apartments and living areas. Other organisations who supply products and services to the active retired will also provide information for those in attendance.

The proceedings start at 2pm on Sunday, September 26th at Cathedral Close Apartments opposite Christ Church Cathedral in Waterford City and all interested parties are most welcome.

Ability Matters presents AED to Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral was recently presented with an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) by Ability Matters. While the Cathedral is primarily a place of worship it is also a major civic resource embracing artistic, cultural and ecumenical life in the city.

As an historic building and a very popular venue for concerts, recitals and exhibitions it contributes to the cultural tapestry of Waterford.

Experiencing a vast throughput of worshippers and visitors each week the Christ Church Cathedral committee was aware of the need for its staff to be proficient in AED and CPR.

Susan Grant, Tourism and Marketing Manager of Christ Church, said that the offer of an AED couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. “The committee had, for some time, been discussing acquiring an AED for the cathedral. When Ability Matters offered to supply us with an AED we were delighted to accept and were very grateful of the offer.”

“Although we hope there won’t be a need for it, the AED and the training we undertook with NAS Training Centre have given us the confidence and ability to respond to an emergency situation. All members of staff, clergy and some select vestry members are now trained.”

In Ireland approximately 10,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease, stroke and other circulatory diseases. Where concentrated volumes of people work and gather each day, there is a heightened risk of one of those suffering from CVD.

For every minute that passes between onset of cardiac arrest and treatment, chances of survival are reduced by 10 percent. If a defibrillator is not used within 10 minutes, the victim's chances of survival are practically nil.

Susan added “Since the Cathedral’s refurbishment in 2006/2007, tourist figures have been steadily increasing, the audience numbers for music and art events has grown, all in addition to our weekly congregations. So it is crucial that we have trained staff and the proper equipment to deal with a situation that requires AED.”

For further information about Christchurch visit http://www.christchurchwaterford.com/. Or log onto www.abilitymatters.ie or http://www.nas.ie/.